Tap water in Abu Dhabi homes safe to drink

Abu Dhabi: Tap water in homes across Abu Dhabi is 100 per cent clean and safe to drink, a top official at the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Power Corporation, clarified on Tuesday.

Speaking to Gulf News on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Saeed Mohamad Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of ADDC, said: “It is safe for residents to drink Abu Dhabi’s tap water. ADDC supplies drinking water via its main water distribution network.”

However, he reminded residents and building managers to regularly clean and maintain their water storage tanks.

Al Suwaidi said, “It is the responsibility of customers to clean their internal water distribution systems and tanks to maintain water quality. ADDC implements a strict annual water quality plan approved by the regulator whereby water samples are collected from different quality zones and analysed by the laboratories for quality control on a daily basis. This sampling programme is audited by a third party annually to ensure its effectiveness.”

Water consumption a day

According to ADDC, the national average water consumption rate, including personal, residential, commercial and agriculture use, stands at 550 litres per day in the UAE, as compared to 170-300 litres per day per capita internationally.

ADDC is currently looking at ways to reduce water consumption through greater use of recycled water, enhancing the efficiency of irrigation systems and processes, installation of more efficient taps in public areas such as mosques and malls and conducting of customers awareness campaigns, Al Suwaidi said.

“Water consumption in the UAE is three times more than the sustainable water consumption index defined internationally. The UAE’s water consumption is considered one of the highest across the world,” Dr Mahmoud Al Hader, Head of Information Section, Al Ain Distribution Company, told Gulf News while talking about the Smart Water Conservation System at the ADSW in the capital.

Water recycling 

The current quantity of water recycled daily by the ADDC is 132 million imperial gallons (600,000 meter cube) approximately.

Al Suwaidi said, “The ADDC is currently working on a project to supply 4.4 million imperial gallons (20,000 meter cube) of recycled water from Yas Island to Saddiyat Island, which will be put into operation by the end of January 2020.”

Saadiyat Island is the first project completed under this scheme, he said, adding two larger projects are still to come.